Title: 1872 Complete Works of the Brontë Sisters | Zaehnsdorf Fine Binding | Wilberforce Library Provenance (7 Volumes)

An exquisite, complete 7-volume set of the Life and Works of Charlotte Brontë and Her Sisters, published in 1872 by Smith, Elder & Co. Fine binding by the master London binders, Zaehnsdorf. The set boasts exceptional historical provenance, bearing the bookplates of the Wilberforce Library at Backsettown—linking these volumes directly to the great-granddaughter of abolitionist William Wilberforce and the inner circle of Virginia Woolf.

Binder: Signed "Bound by Zaehnsdorf" on the inner front turn-in. Joseph Zaehnsdorf and his son were among the most elite and sought-after fine binders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for their peerless craftsmanship.

An elaborate, high-end half-morocco leather binding. The spines and corners are bound in rich, dark green morocco, paired with striking diagonal blue and gold striped cloth boards.

The spines are heavily and expertly tooled in gold gilt. They feature raised bands dividing the spine into six compartments. Two compartments contain gilt lettering (Title, Volume Number, and Date), while the remaining compartments are densely packed with intricate, repeating floral and urn motifs. Some light soiling / rubbing to leather. 

Provenance: The Wilberforce Library, Backsettown

Each volume features a bookplate stating "From the Wilberforce Library, Backsettown."

This indicates the set belonged to the private library of Dr. Octavia Margaret Wilberforce (1888–1963). A pioneering female physician and the great-granddaughter of the famed abolitionist William Wilberforce, Octavia lived at the historic Backsettown estate in Sussex with her close friend, the actress and suffragette Elizabeth Robins.

Crucially for literary collectors, Dr. Wilberforce was intimately connected to the Bloomsbury Group and served as the physician and close confidante to Virginia Woolf during the final days of Woolf's life. To own a finely bound set of the Brontë sisters that sat on the shelves of such a significant 20th-century feminist and literary figure is a remarkable rarity.

Included Volumes (Complete 7-Volume Set)

Volume I: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Volume II: Shirley by Charlotte Brontë

Volume III: Villette by Charlotte Brontë

Volume IV: The Professor by Charlotte Brontë

Volume V: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë & Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë

Volume VI: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

Volume VII: The Life of Charlotte Brontë by Elizabeth Gaskell